Improvement in field-fences



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER KNISKERN, OF MONEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND J ARED Gr. SCOTT, OF SAME PLACE.

MPROVEMENT IN FIELD-FENCES.

Specileaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,052, dated January 24, 1865.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, PETER W. KNISKERN, of Monee, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Field-Fence; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which enables any person skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whieh- Figure l represents a sectional face view of 'my invention; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of same. Fig. 3 is a similar view 0f the same, showing its application to a worm-fence.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts.

rIhe object of this invention is a portable field-fence which can be readily put up or taken down whenever it may be desirable, and which can be used as a straight or as a worm fence without changing any of its parts.

The nature of my invention andits peculiar advantages will be readily understood from the following description A A represent two adjoiningpanels of my fence, which are constructed of the horizontal rails a d and the uprights b b. The rails and the uprights are madeof fiat narrow strips of wood and the ends of the rails are halved, the rails a beinggprovided with a recess, o, on their upper, and the rails a with a recess, c, on their lower edges, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and the uprights b b are fastened to the rails in pairs on opposite sides of the same and so close to their ends that .a portion of said uprights projects beyond the recesses c c', and that between the uprights b ot' the panel A spaces d are left to receive the extreme ends of the rails Af, and in the same manner the eXtreme ends of the rails a project into spaces d between the uprights b. These spaces are formed by the combination of the recesses c o with the uprights b b', and by these means the uprights can be secured to the rails far enough from the ends of the rails to prevent splitting, and still by the recesses c c' said spaces d d are formed to receive the ends of the rails of the adjoining panel. Y

When used for a straight fence, the ends of the panels A A are pushed together, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the fence is held in position by notched braces e, which bear on the two upper rails of each panel and are driven in the ground on opposite sides-of the fence.

In order to apply my fence to a worm-fence, I have provided the rails a a at their ends with vertical notches ff', and the notches f of the rails a are made to catch over the corner of the upright b of the adjoining panel A, and in the same manner the notchesf of the rails a are made to catch over the corner of the upright b, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. In order to effect this purpose it is necessary to place the uprights b b at a certain distance from the ends of the rails a af, which I am enabled to do by means of the recesses c of, and by these recesses the rails a a can all be placed in a uniform height and the ends of the adjoining panels can be conveniently brought in the position shown in Fig. 3.

If my fence is used as a worin-fence the braces e can be dispensed with.

The fence is very light and cheap, the uprights are connected to the rails at such a distance from their ends that the splitting of the wood is avoided, and by its particular construction my fence can be put up or taken down with little trouble or loss ot' time and without injury to the fence.

I am aware that it is not new to construct the panels of aportable fence with ends adapted to overlap, and also that the overlapping boards have before been vertically notched for the purpose of locking the panels together. This, therefore, I do not broadly claim; but,

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A portable fence with the adjoining ends of the boards recessed and notched in the particular manner herein shown and described, so that they will t and lock together in either position, to produce at will a straight or a worin fence, as specified.

PETER IV. KNISKERN.

` Witnesses:

A. HERBERT, PETER BrscHMA'NN. 

